'I make the last meal people in hospice ever eat, and they want the same thing'

A chef who prepares the final meals for people at the end of their lives has explained what they choose - with one option being very popular. Spencer Richards is the chef at Sobell House Hospice in Oxfordshire, and makes sure last meals are filled with comfort, care and love.

Spencer said: “My own philosophy is that there can be no greater privilege as a chef than serving someone their final meal. Recently a 21-year-old patient didn’t connect with anything on the standard menu. He was young and didn’t like the usual options, so we talked and he liked street food, so we made that happen.

“Then there was the woman who turned 93 during her stay. She hadn’t had the most traditional home life, and birthday cakes were never really part of it. When we surprised her with one, she was in tears. She was absolutely over the moon.”

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Birthday cakes are a frequent request for Spencer, often for patients in their 80s or 90s. “They’re small things, but especially for people who’ve been isolated or are feeling lonely, they mean a lot,” Spencer said. "Food at the end of life is as much about adapting as it is about cooking. Patients often lose the ability to swallow or taste buds change due to medicines and treatment such as chemotherapy.

“Many in the hospice become sensitive to salt, so we moderate that. And we find that often people with cancer get a sweet tooth.”

Spencer draws on classic French desserts like panna cotta, crème brûlée, and crème caramel. Even when people can only tolerate jelly or ice cream, Spencer ensures the dish is thoughtfully presented.

“We don’t always know at the time what it means,” he says. “But we hear back later - families come back months afterward, just to say thank you.”

One family who has lost a loved on earlier in the year returned on Day with food for the hospice staff as a gesture of gratitude. It’s those moments that remind Spencer what this work is really about.

“At this stage in my career, I want to give back,” he says. “Food is a powerfully emotive medium - it can summon childhood memories and create new lasting ones. That’s what we do here.”

Sobell House is jointly funded by the and the Sobell House Hospice Charity, which raises around £4 million annually.